Road surface conditions such as moisture on the road, snow, ice (particularly black ice), debris or sand, oil or other fluids, can cause skidding at much lower force levels or velocities than under normal conditions.
This can be caused by some tires locking up in braking while others continue to rotate, or under acceleration where driven tires may lose traction (especially, if they lose traction unevenly), or in combining braking or acceleration with turning.
The dynamic friction of the spinning tire against the road causes significant amounts of the tire's rubber to be deposited onto the road surface, and increased temperature from friction usually creates dense white smoke.
It is common in drag racing to heat tires to a more desirable temperature in order to increase traction.
This is the simplest type of skid, where directional changes are not relevant, and the vehicle merely locks up the tires moving forwards in a straight line.
For deceleration straight ahead, where turning or maneuvering are not required, one technique is to simply accept a skid and lock up the brakes.